<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>58373</law_id><section_number>2.2-603</section_number><catch_line>Authority of agency directors</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="2.2">Administration of Government</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="I">Organization of State Government</unit><unit label="part" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="C">State Agencies Related to the General Operation of Government</unit><unit label="chapter" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="6">General Provisions</unit><unit label="article" level="5" order_by="1" identifier="1">In General</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Notwithstanding any provision of <span class="dictionary">law</span> to the contrary, the agency director of each agency in the executive branch of state government shall have the power and duty to (i) supervise and manage the department or agency and (ii) prepare, approve, and submit to the Governor all requests for appropriations and to be responsible for all expenditures pursuant to appropriations. <a id="paragraph-213758" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The director of each agency in the executive branch of state government, except those that by <span class="dictionary">law</span> are appointed by their respective boards, shall not proscribe any agency employee from discussing the functions and policies of the agency, without prior approval from his supervisor or superior, with any person unless the information to be discussed is protected from disclosure by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Short title; policy" href="/2.2-3700/">2.2-3700</a> et seq.) or any other provision of state or federal <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-213759" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Subsection A shall not be construed to restrict any other specific or general powers and duties of executive branch boards granted by <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-213760" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> This section shall not apply to those agency directors that are appointed by their respective boards or by the Board of Education. Directors appointed in this manner shall have the powers and duties assigned by <span class="dictionary">law</span> or by the board. <a id="paragraph-213761" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> In addition to the requirements of subsection C of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Governor to report to the General Assembly" href="/2.2-619/">2.2-619</a>, the director of each agency in any branch of state government shall, at the end of each fiscal year, report to (i) the Secretary of Finance and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations a listing and general description of any federal <span class="dictionary">contract</span>, grant, or money in excess of $1 million for which the agency was eligible, whether or not the agency applied for, accepted, and received such <span class="dictionary">contract</span>, grant, or money, and, if not, the reasons therefore and the dollar amount and corresponding percentage of the agency&#x2019;s total annual budget that was supplied by funds from the federal government and (ii) the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Finance, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations any amounts owed to the agency from any source that are more than six months delinquent, the length of such delinquencies, and the total of all such delinquent amounts in each six-month interval. Clause (i) shall not be required of public institutions of higher education. <a id="paragraph-213762" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> Notwithstanding subsection D, the director of every agency and department in the executive branch of state government, including those appointed by their respective boards or the Board of Education, shall be responsible for securing the electronic data held by his agency or department and shall comply with the requirements of the Commonwealth&#x2019;s information technology security and risk-management program as set forth in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Additional duties of the CIO relating to security of government information" href="/2.2-2009/">2.2-2009</a>. <a id="paragraph-213763" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="G"><p><span class="prefix-number">G.</span> The director of every department in the executive branch of state government shall have the power and duty to comply with the provisions of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Agency director human resource training and agency succession planning" href="/2.2-1209/">2.2-1209</a>. <a id="paragraph-213764" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/2.2-603/#G"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1985, c. 212, &#xA7; 2.1-20.01:1; 1992, c. 672; 1995, c. 219; 1996, c. 98; 1997, c. 491; 1999, cc. 70, 892; 2001, c. 844; 2004, cc. 488, 638; 2015, cc. 261, 768; 2017, c. 527; 2022, cc. 626, 627.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
